Otis is (was) a very healthy and happy 4 year old. Last week he split a toenail, I took him to our vet and she discovered a heart murmer. He has lost 10 lbs since his last visit about one year ago. I feel terrible for not noticing the weight loss. He looks slim, but is eating well. I'm taking him to a cardiologist tomorrow and wondering if anyone has experience with heart murmers? What might we expect in terms of tests and/or treatment? I'm very worried about him, hoping this is treatable.

I am not an expert but did they say the grade of heart murmur? I had a cat who had a murmur discovered on pre-blood donor exam, they did a cardiac ultrasound and it was not serious, just brought on by stress so it did not affect his quality of life. I also had a very senior pit bull who had a terrible murmur as well as other heart issues, but for the 2.5 years I had her she did really well, albeit being on several medications for her CHF. That ultimately was not what led to her passing either.

A heart murmur is just a sound, it does not necessarily mean there is heart disease, nor does the "grade" or loudness of the murmur correlate with severity of disease.

The cardiologist will be able to ultrasound the heart, measure the size, the bloodflow, and determine if there are any abnormalities to be concerned with. As long as you aren't seeing any symptoms of difficult breathing or being tired, I wouldn't worry too much.